MG Fall Festival Petaluma 2011

MG Fall Festival Petaluma 2011

MG Fall Festival Car Show 2011

Starts: 09/30/2011

Ends: 2011-09-30

Sheraton Hotel

Petaluma, California

USA

Images© and story by Don Scott, Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Event

MGs Invade Petaluma, CA For 2011 Fall Festival

I visited the MG Fall Festival at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma on Friday, September 30th. As usual, I was driving a Japanese vehicle; my Mazda pickup as I had errands to run to get building supplies to prepare for the rainstorms coming next week. If everyone drove a Japanese car to these events they would not quite work as well.

Anyway, there were some beautiful cars there. My favourite was the red 1962 MGA Mk 2 roadster that belongs to Chrisula Asimos. She bought the car new! What a vibrant and lively woman she is. I can't imagine what she must have been like back in '62 when she bought that car. The MGA is pretty much original other than a repaint years ago. She said the worst mechanical issue was a blown head gasket on the SF/Oakland Bay Bridge years ago which led to her having the engine partially rebuilt. The original gray top and side curtains with gray vinyl still are on the car. The seats, though worn, are also original. She was also kind enough to laugh at my joke - an event organizer was walking briskly among the cars announcing that a pair of bifocals had been found and she was seeking their owner. I commented to Chrisula that the bifocals could belong to anyone at the car show.

Andy Preston had two of his four MGs at the show. His red MGA coupe is gorgeous and is a real work of art as he did most all the work himself on the car. His cars are so impressive, and his enthusiasm for MGs has inspired me at times when I think of other hobbies to pursue. A great guy he is.

There were more TFs than TDs, which defies logic considering how few TFs were made, and how few remain. There was a cream coloured one which I photographed that was stunning. The owner had just had the car restored, and the detailing was phenomenal. Even the lining of the little tool box in front of the firewall was there, and intact. It had a valve cover that I had not seen before with a complex filler on the rear. I learned that it was a TC item which was sought by later T-series owners as it was such an art piece. The owner started up the engine and told me it had been rebuilt and balanced. It sure ran well. I must say, this car gave me an inferiority complex as I own a similar car with the same colour scheme. Until I saw this TF, I thought mine was as nice as they got.

I saw Jim Legg of Napa, who had sold me an MGB radio years ago. He drove his MGB that tows a trailer made of a severed MGB's hindquarters. Jim is very dedicated to his MGs, and has two MGBs.

One of the more unusual MGs at the show was a "tubbed" MGA roadster powered by a massive chromed and blown V8. I noticed that the car's grille was from a '62 Mk 2 and the taillights from a 1600. No originality/concours prize for him!

The other odd MG was a GT that had been converted to a roadster-pickup truck. The owner had done a lot of beautiful woodwork to it, and I was impressed how pretty the car looked. The owner's wife told me that her husband had started with a parts car that ran so well he couldn't just discard it, so made it into a custom. She placed their little pet dog in its special doggy seat for me to include in my photograph of the car.

There was a dearth of MG sedans. Only one I saw was an MG 1100. It was very well preserved, and wore it's original tartan red paint. I always thought only MGBs were tartan red. This has got to be one of a handful of 1100s left in the world.

A great show for any MG or British car fan - If this is your passion and even if you drive Japanese on a day to day basis, this is the show for you....